Paul George Dropped 38 in His Celtics Debut. The Celtics Still Found a Way to Lose by 8.

The NBA picked Celtics at Pistons to open the whole season. A 3 p.m. tip on a Tuesday, national TV, everybody watching. And for about two and a half quarters, Boston looked like it had the script figured out.

Then it didn't. Detroit came back from 22 down and won 121-113 at Little Caesars Arena.

The good part first: Paul George

Paul George, 37 years old, 17th season, first game in green, scored 38 points. That's the most any Celtic has ever scored in a debut. He went 12-for-21 from the field and 7-for-12 from three, with five rebounds, three assists and five steals in 31 minutes, according to NBC Sports Boston.

Early in the third quarter he hit three 3-pointers in less than a minute and pushed the lead to 72-50. One of his first-half threes moved him into eighth place on the NBA's all-time 3-pointers list with 2,551, passing Kyle Korver, NBA.com reported.

Remember how he got here: Boston acquired George from Philadelphia in exchange for Jaylen Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, according to the AP. So the first night of the trade went like this: George gave Boston 38, and Brown helped Philadelphia beat the champs. Hold that thought.

The bad part: the fourth quarter

Detroit cut it to six by the end of the third. Former Celtic Javonte Green, who didn't play a minute in the first half, came in with 7:26 left in the third and Detroit down 74-53. He finished with 19 points and five threes. Of course it was a former Celtic.

Then the Pistons went on a 23-0 run over about five minutes of the fourth quarter. The Celtics were up 99-89 with 8:19 to go. Detroit led 112-99 with 3:33 left, according to NBA.com. Duncan Robinson scored 15 of his 21 in the fourth. Boston fouled him on two different 3-point attempts in that quarter. Twice. On threes.

NBA.com says it was the biggest opening-day comeback since the 1997-98 season. The last team to come back from 20-plus down on opening day? The Celtics, in 1997, against the Bulls. Life comes at you fast.

Cade Cunningham had 22 points and eight assists. Jalen Duren had 22 and nine rebounds. Detroit outrebounded Boston 59-45 and won the paint 44-34, per NBA.com.

Jayson Tatum's afternoon

Now the part Celtics fans don't want to talk about. Jayson Tatum went 6-for-23 from the field and 0-for-7 from three for 13 points. He did have 11 assists. Tatum, coming into his first full season since tearing his Achilles tendon in May 2025, admitted it was "definitely not one of my best games," NBC Sports Boston reported.

The AP's recap didn't let it slide either, writing that his lack of hustle on defense let Green take his time on the fifth three that put Detroit up 13 with 3:33 left.

Derrick White and Payton Pritchard had 17 apiece. White added eight assists, and Pritchard tied his career high with eight free-throw attempts. Boston's centers, Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta, combined for seven rebounds, and the team turned it over 14 times, NBC Sports Boston said.

What the people who watch every game said

Former Celtic Eddie House, on NBC Sports Boston's postgame show, kept it real: "They were making shots, we weren't making shots in that fourth quarter. They went on a big run and we could not stop it." He also pointed out George sat while the lead disappeared: "We had our main guys on the bench that whole time, especially a guy like Paul George who in 31 minutes had 38 points."

Celtics insider Chris Forsberg called the second half "pretty embarrassing" and said blowing leads like this is "something the Celtics have been prone to in previous seasons."

Dez's take

Look, it's one game out of 82. Nobody's selling their banners. But you don't get to say "new era" and then lose a 22-point lead in the exact way the old era used to. George looked like the best player on the floor. Tatum looked like a guy still finding his legs. Joe Mazzulla's got four days to figure out why the guy with 38 was watching the run from the bench.

What's next

The Celtics' home opener is Friday at 7 p.m. at TD Garden against the New York Knicks, who just raised their first championship banner in 53 years. No pressure.